The Courier
by StaffSergeant
Summary: The NCR had taken Hoover Dam and was already preparing to pursue the Legion deeper into the East. Courier Number Six, Marcus, was on the way too seeing that General Oliver needed his expertise. Too bad he wasn't going to make it there.
1. First Encounters

The Courier

Chapter 1

First Encounters

"_A wise man once taught me that killing is a chore, I found that to be very true…"- Courier Number Six, Marcus, on receiving the Golden Branch for his services to the NCR._

Courier number six, Marcus, had a headache, that was usually a bad thing because if he had a headache this bad he was either drunk beyond his limits (he blamed Cassie for that, she was always such a bottle fairy) or he got hit in the back of the head. The Courier pushed himself off the ground and took in his surroundings. Nope, he was definitely not in the desert anymore. Vault 22-nah…Vault 22 was infested with vegetation; wherever he was this place was a lot more natural looking.

Now he was completely confused, where was he?

Standing up the Courier brushed himself off, picking up his small but still serviceable rucksack by its shoulder strap. The Desert Ranger Combat Armor he wore had served him well in Zion, it would probably serve him well here…Wherever here was…The Courier stood up. No time to mope about his apparent misfortune, he had to find some civilization and get his bearings. Hopefully he could also find a way back, the NCR was moving into the east after all and the Legion was still bearing its fangs against the Mojave. Apparently Oliver had needed his 'expertise' with the upcoming conflict. Marcus was very close to giving that general an ass-full of boot. What part of the word "independent" did the asshole not understand?

/

The Courier had to count his lucky stars sometimes, because finding a creek was just that lucky. He tried the water and refilled his canteen eagerly then decided to wash off his face. He was not a very tall man; in fact he only stood at around five foot five. Marcus was often described as an angry looking twenty-something year old with unkempt hair and sharp blue eyes. The Desert Ranger armor he wore was something he was mildly proud off; he found the thing in a survivalist cave in Zion. It resembled the NCR combat armor the ranger veterans were famous for save that the duster was green and no NCR markings were visible on it.

Marcus drew his favored weapon, A Light Shining in the Darkness, the .45 auto was shorter than standard models and featured a snakeskin grip and Greek text etched on the barrel. Joshua Graham had given the Courier this pistol personally after driving out the White Legs in Zion, Marcus counted Graham as a close friend and had learned a lot of things from him.

He checked the pistol over and holstered it and drew his knife, it had apparently belonged to a Great Khan named Chance. Marcus began sharpening the blade quietly seeing as he had nothing else to do during this short break.

After another drink Marcus shouldered his small rucksack, wiped his mouth, pulled his helmet on and began to follow the creek. It was about to be dusk, meaning that he had to find a good place to camp out.

/

"Shit," Marcus said as he spotted someone just lying on the ground near the creek. "How long has she been there…?"

The Courier approached slowly panning the area with his handgun before holstering. She was a blonde, a cute young thing that was easy on the eyes. He blinked and sighed dejectedly as he saw that she was wearing a large breastplate and a pair of panties along with metal gauntlets and that was pretty much it for her clothing. If it weren't for her breastplate she might as well have been walking about naked. She didn't look like one of the girls from Gomorrah either. She carried a sword and shield and what was left of her pack lay alongside her.

"She's lucky I suppose." Marcus remarked and crouched down. He hauled her gently out of the water and gathered up her stuff. She had wisely brought along flint and cooking supplies so she must have been a traveler who was well armed considering her…armor and her sword which was high quality make. Marcus began gathering up wood for fire.

/

It was nighttime and Marcus was sitting next to the fire when the girl stirred then sat up quickly, reaching for the now empty sheathe at her side. Marcus raised a hand in greeting as the blonde stared at him suspiciously.

"Sorry 'bout scaring you," Marcus told her tonelessly "I just found you by the creek over there. Don't worry I didn't do anything weird or bad. You looked like you were in bad shape." The girl's blue eyes narrowed as she watched Marcus stand up to check the boiling pot of pork and beans.

"My thanks for saving me traveler," the girl told him after a pause as she went to retrieve her sword which Marcus had inspected then carefully left it with the small shield next to her. "Who are you? And such strange clothes…"

Marcus looked at his duster and his armor and shrugged. "I'm not obviously from around here." He told her "Name's Marcus, I'm a Courier."

"Leina Vance, I am a warrior seeking to compete in the Queen's Blade."

The Courier crossed his arms, brows raised in confusion as he looked at the now named Leina Vance "Queen's Blade?"

At that Leina tilted her head curious and surprised "You do not know of the Queen's Blade? Surely you must have at least heard of the name?"

"Nope," Marcus answered honestly "Unless it's a weapon or some location I really do not know what that is." The Courier looked at the pot of beans and scooped out a bowl for the girl. "Here, you need to eat something. I don't know if you-"

Leina Vance's stomach rumbled and it sounded like thunder. Marcus actually looked up at the sky. No clouds so…He saw Leina turn red in embarrassment and looked down at her lap, fidgeting.

/

"Sorry, I haven't eaten in quite a while." Leina mumbled a bit flustered, but she did take the bowl. She tried the food she was offered and was surprised to find that it was…very mediocre in taste. Still food was food so she ate.

All in all Leina finished most if not all of the pot and her strange newfound companion ate little. She took a quick glance at the stony faced man. He was a few inches shorter than her and had unkempt black hair. His eyes were blue much like hers except that they were a harder shade and held a lot of experience in them, something that reminded her very much of her elder sister Claudette. He wore very outlandish clothes and armor. Marcus was an enigma, one that she would figure out.

"You call yourself a Courier, Sir Marcus." Leina remarked "Who do you work for?"

"I'm a free agent." Marcus answered simply washing out the pot and the bowl. As he worked Leina caught glimpse of a strange but small weapon strapped to his belt, a single edged knife next to it. He was lightly armed, was he a warrior as well?

"I've also done my own fair share of murder as well," Marcus said softly as though in response to Leina's discovery of his weapons "I hope to avoid bloodshed but sometimes…" he sighed "A chore is all it is, necessary but tiring."

A Courier who was also a murderer, Leina thought it best to keep an eye on this one seeing as he just admitted that he could hold his own.

The Courier exhaled "We should get some rest" he said "I'll take first watch, we can talk more tomorrow."

Leina nodded her consent and unpacked her bedroll to settle for the night; Marcus just removed his duster, using it as a makeshift blanket as he leaned against a tree. He was leaner than he looked but he was strong, not like most of the boorish men that she was used to.

/

The next morning was pleasant and Leina woke feeling refreshed, though her defeat against Claudette was still heavy on her mind. She was surprised to see Marcus already awake, burying the remains of the campfire. He wore a strange metal mask over his head and he glanced over, the mask hid his face entirely. It made her shiver slightly as small blue

"Ah you're awake." The Courier commented, his voice toneless. "How'd you sleep?"

"I'm refreshed Marcus, thank you for asking" Leina answered. "And Good morning to you as well"

The Courier gave a polite nod and shouldered his pack. "So…where were you headed? I imagine that you ending up unconscious in near the creek was not planned was it?" He asked Leina.

She gave a nod "Yes…" she said slightly ashamed. Claudette had found her and had beaten her. Still she didn't place fault with her sister for failing to catch her, Leina winced. She really should have thought out her words better.

"Cool, truth is I never expected to be here at all." Marcus said interrupting her thoughts "I just got finished with one war and I was going to end up in another one." Leina's curious glance made him shrug "So here I am wandering the desert and next thing I know a freak sandstorm blows me away and I wake up here. Then I found you."

Strange, it was a very curious story but Leina wouldn't question her new companion. "We should stick together for now, Marcus." She suggested "Seeing as I'm heading to the capital, maybe we can find a way for you to get back to where you're going."

Marcus sounded surprised but grateful "Thanks, without a guide I'd probably end up more lost. Compared to the Mojave this place is…different."

And with that settled the unlikely pair of the Courier and the Wandering Warrior set off.

/

Her companion was silent as a grave but he did listen, that got him a few points. Leina talked and Marcus listened that's how it often turned out as they headed towards Gainos, which was the capital city of the Continent. She talked all about her previous life and why she ran away from the Vance County. Marcus didn't say much but he did ask a lot of questions about her home, he also made remarks on her description of Melona, a monster that she had beaten.

"So she…" Marcus said slowly, exhaling through his nose. "In addition to shape shifting she sprayed acid from her…chest?" Leina was blushing as well as she recalled what Melona used as a weapon.

"Yes, I had to stop her from doing that." Leina said "That was my first victory."

"I see…" Marcus mused "You certainly have a better story than I do."

Leina looked at him curiously "What makes you say that, Sir Marcus? I'm sure as a Courier you have seen a lot more than I"

Marcus gave a small sardonic chuckle; he wasn't wearing his mask as it was strapped to his own pack. His duster billowed in the wind ominously. "I nearly died you know when I first started out." Marcus told Leina "I was off delivering some packages when I got ambushed by this guy called Benny." He tapped his skull "I was hit right here, theoretically I was supposed to be dead." Leina looked surprised and she waited for Marcus to continue.

"I got dragged out of my grave and I was patched up by a doctor," he said "He was a good man."

Marcus smiled "I hope he stays out of trouble."

"Did you ever find the man who buried you?" Leina asked swinging her arms about looking down the trail.

"I watched him die actually," Marcus answered grimly making Leina flinch. "He was crucified."

"Oh…" Leina was speechless. Such a cruel place this man lives in. Claudette had taught her how to judge someone's strength by looking into their eyes. The Courier's gaze was as hard as they come.

"I wouldn't say that he didn't deserve it." Marcus said "He stabbed a lot of people in the back, and he did leave me in a grave." The Courier shrugged his shoulders "I can tell that I'm upsetting you…my apologies."

After a long pause Marcus spoke up again, Leina felt a little relieved as she thought she had dug way too deep.

"So…this Queen's Blade, what is it really?" Marcus asked Leina.

"A tournament that happens every four years to decide the next Queen, the angels from above officiate the entire thing." Leina answered clenching her fist in determination. She would win it and prove that she was not some weak little puppet, that she was worth more than just a little noble girl. Her determined expression must have shown because Marcus raised a brow.

"Seems like a big deal," The Courier said quietly as he looked up at the next settlement they were headed towards.

/

The inn was boisterous, loud and full of drunks. While Marcus could hold his alcohol as well as any surly bastard here he decided that getting drunk off his ass was not the best way to go about things. He did stick close to the Vance girl however seeing as her…attire was getting a lot of looks. Marcus palmed the grip of his .45 idly before leaning against the wall to keep a watch on his blonde companion.

When the three guys sitting at the round table moved towards her, the Courier moved also silent as a ghost as the bar quieted and the atmosphere turned tense.

/

Gabriel was supposed to be having a bad day but when this blonde beauty walked through the inn's doors he felt a lot better.

"Why hello there," he said putting an arm around the blonde's shoulders "You looking for company?" his leery gaze landed on her bum but her tits were looking real good too, big and firm. His cronies ogled as well.

"No," the blonde answered pushing his arm off. She sounded pissed but they always did, the little bitch would stop that soon though after he was done with her. Gabriel smiled.

"Come on, don't play so hard to get." Gabriel advanced slowly "You can trust me; I'll be gentle with ya…" There was a sudden thud; someone very familiar gave a short cry of pain and the brigand stopped cold as he felt something big staring at the back of his head. It was evil like some kind of demon.

"I really don't appreciate what you're trying to do to my companion." A quiet, somewhat accented voice spoke. Gabriel turned around; the young man holding a knife to his friend's, Tom's, neck was short. The last guy, the big man Chester was on the floor knocked out cold.

Gabriel felt his heartbeat quicken as the boy watched him, a hard blue eyed glare with no life in it. The brigand at first felt very angry, he could have flattened this little bastard with his eyes closed. The boy's glare said otherwise, it said that if Gabriel made one step towards the blonde then Tom would die and Gabriel would join him.

"Don't worry about your friend; he's unconscious" The boy spoke sighing like he truly regretted that things had to come this way.

"Y-You think you're a big guy aren't you boy!" Gabriel crowed "Come on, show me what you got!"

"Quit blustering," his opponent spoke, his voice hard but quiet "You make one move I don't like and the last thing you see before I kill you is this knife opening your friend's throat."

"Big words for a bastard who barely reaches my shoulder," Gabriel snarled drawing his own knife "I'll gut you like a stuck pig-"

The blonde shield bashed the back of his head.

/

Marcus raised a brow as Leina gave the fallen bandit a kick to the head to make sure he stayed unconscious. "Nicely done, couldn't have done it better myself" the Courier commented.

"I wanted to avoid bloodshed as well," Leina said simply while giving the unconscious bandit a glare. "What are we supposed to do with him?" Marcus lowered his knife and his hostage gave a whimpering noise as he begged for his life.

"I see you again," Marcus warned him coldly "And I promise you that _absolutely nothing_ will save you from me." He gestured to the two unconscious men on the floor with his knife "See to them, I don't care if you have to find a wagon. Get the fuck out of my sight."

The last bandit nodded quickly in fear, dragging his first companion out and then the second one.

The inn returned to its boisterous atmosphere, and the inn-keeper had apparently been having problems with those guys. He let Leina and Marcus have a free room and board.

/

Leina flopped down on the bed, sighing. "Ah…better than sleeping on rocks and dirt!" she commented smiling. Her stony faced companion just shrugged off his pack and removed his duster. Hanging the large green coat in the cabinet he unfastened his armor, revealing that he wore a simple black shirt underneath. He also removed the strange contraption attached to his left forearm.

"What is that?" Leina asked sitting up and looking at the large bracer, or whatever it is. Another mystery to add to her companion's already growing supply.

Marcus took a glance "They call it a Pip-Boy from where I come from, it's a Vault thing." He said, and seeing the confused look on Leina's face he elaborated "Where I come from, the people used to live in these underground places called Vaults. Not me though I was born after the Great War."

"Great…War?" Leina asked.

"I don't know much about it, but it burned everything in its path." Marcus said shrugging "I know that it was different back then though…a lot more peaceful than what it is now." He took a seat at the small table in the room. "You should get some rest, I'm sure you need it."


	2. The Maid

Chapter 2

The Maid

"_The Courier didn't win the battle at Hoover Dam by playing nice, from what I've heard the man has shot and stabbed anyone that got in his way. The man is a stone cold killer he doesn't fight to win, he fights to kill. Good thing he was on our side…"- NCR Ranger, musing about Courier Number Six_

The next morning was an overcast grey and a light rain began to fall. Rain spattered against the window and Marcus shook himself awake. Blinking he yawned softly then looked over at his companion, Leina slept facing away on the other bed. He could hear her snores.

The Courier stood up and got ready for the day. He clipped his bandoliers in place, holstering A Light Shining in Darkness at his hip. The .45 pistol made no noise, seeing as it was the same gun that Marcus had used to put down countless legionaries in Cottonwood Cove. There was no blood to be spilt yet, so it had no reason to make any noise. It wasn't his only weapon seeing as he had others that Leina had not seen yet. The .45 was the one he used mostly.

Marcus suited up, his armor and gauntlets in place as he pulled the green duster over his shoulders. Dusting himself off he went down to get some breakfast for him and his new companion. The inn was quiet and that suited him just fine, he was briefly reminded of Goodsprings which was the town he had hoped to settle down in after things with the Legion were done and dusted.

He remembered Trudy who was the mayor of that small town. She was another good acquaintance of the Courier.

/

"Ah the hero of the hour," the inn-keeper commented as he scrubbed the bar. Marcus just shook his head humbly.

"I wasn't the only one working you know, Miss Leina did a pretty good job." Marcus commented as he took a sip of water from his canteen.

"Ah…she's a mighty fine looking woman isn't she?" The inn-keeper gave Marcus a wink and a grin "I have a son that's your age young man and he's been courting left, right and center."

"I am afraid that my…romantic life is at a standstill at the moment," Marcus said tonelessly, his eyes were locked onto the bar. It was a sudden change and it seemed that the Courier looked like he was in pain "And it will remain at a standstill indefinitely." The inn-keeper took this as a sign to back off. The stranger sounded annoyed and judging from his cold demeanor not someone to mess with.

"Alright, I meant no offense" the old man spoke apologetic. The Courier just waved a hand dismissively.

"No offense taken," Marcus answered. "By the way, are you cooking breakfast? I was just wondering because I'm kinda hungry."

/

Marcus had gotten some breakfast, Leina saw, as she watched the Courier open the door. He had a tray of food in hand while he held his toast in his mouth. He walked inside placing the tray on the table, the smell was mouthwatering.

"If you want to use the baths they'll be ready in a few minutes so you should eat for now." Marcus said biting into his toast "Don't worry about me; I can eat on the go."

"You eat very little you know," Leina said digging in. Marcus raised a brow. "I mean, you're stick thin. Not like the men I've seen around here."

At that the Courier shrugged. "I was never that strong anyway," he said "And I don't make a point of being the top frog in the well."

Leina finished her breakfast, Marcus was apparently not cut from the same cloth as the boorish men that she was used to. A lot of the men in her life were either pigs or cruel men who connived their way to a woman's bed. Marcus seemed to be neither. From what she had seen Marcus was a talented fighter seeing as he caught that bandit's back without the enemy even noticing.

Clenching her fist she asked "If I may make a request, Sir Marcus?"

"Go ahead," the Courier finished up his toast with a swig from his canteen.

"I request to have a match with you."

Marcus stopped looking at his canteen. "A match?" he asked again.

"Yes, a spar, I wish to see how you fight. And maybe I can learn some more in order to fight in the Queen's Blade." Leina answered looking determined. She would win and she'd show Risty her conviction. It was the red-headed bandit that inspired Leina to wander the continent, and she would repay that debt.

Marcus sighed "I see…" and he kept quiet. Leina started feeling disappointed, thinking that he would say no.

"All right, sure we'll spar."

Leina looked at him surprised to see a small smile. Marcus was amused, and Leina was the fourth person to ever see the Courier smile.

/

The back area was private and it was spacious enough. Leina rolled her shoulders as the Courier simply stood there waiting. Leina took up her stance keeping her buckler raised as Marcus reached behind his back to draw his knife.

He hunched slightly, his left foot forward as he palmed the knife in his right hand. The left hand was open and at his side while his knife hand was pointed to the right. He didn't wear his helmet.

The inn-keeper was watching at the door way.

Leina stepped lightly to the left as the Courier walked the other way with a casual movement. He was waiting for the first move, Leina decided to oblige him.

With a war cry Leina rushed the Courier and went for a body blow. With astonishing footwork Marcus danced to the side, his free hand clenching into a fist. The Courier counter attacked, his knife glinting dully. Leina turned the stroke easily and swung her sword in retaliation; her opponent's eyes were filled with much amusement as he caught her sword arm and shoved her back hard.

Stumbling in astonishment Leina caught her stance just as the Courier stepped forward, and his single knife became two as he drew another blade from within his green duster. Leina raised her shield to deflect a flurry of blows, she struck back but Marcus twisted out of the way, crouched and went for her legs with a low sweeping kick that she barely jumped over.

Now on the defensive, Leina kept her shield up as the Courier's knives danced through the air. He was fast, skilled and always looking for vulnerabilities. That was how Marcus fought, he looked for weaknesses in his opponent and as soon as he found a chink in their defenses he went all out. Leina backed off then went for the offensive as Marcus reversed the grip on his two knives.

It was an awe inspiring dance of blades. Leina blocked with her buckler and struck with her sword while the devious Marcus dodged and weaved, wielding two knives that accounted for many Legion casualties in the Mojave Desert.

Marcus went for a stab but Leina saw that he had overstepped so she grabbed his arm. Much to her surprise the Courier caught her sword arm just as she was about to end the spar. He pulled her in, spun and threw her.

The air blew out of Leina's lungs as she hit the ground. Then she felt pressure on her chest and saw the Courier's boot pinning her down.

"You lost." He said simply then moved back offering his hand.

Leina took it, feeling a little miffed but she was impressed with the Courier's skill. The man was talented; his foot and knife work was way beyond her level. If she had to compare her surly companion to the fighters she had faced then she would place him a little below Claudette's level as Leina had not seen anyone who could match her elder half-sister in battle. She would not be surprised however if Marcus matched her in a draw.

"You're good. Very good, your teacher must have been amazing!" Leina said her eyes shining with awe. With the Courier's help she stood up.

"It's not like you don't have any talent yourself" Marcus said scratching the back of his head looking a little embarrassed, he was not one to brag about his fighting prowess. "I never had any formal teachers; I just had to learn on the go."

/

They hit the trail again, and it was decided that Marcus would teach Leina a few tricks he learned in the Mojave, things like survival techniques and how to deal with pain.

If one were traveling the road that led towards the fabled Forest of Elves one might catch sight of a blonde woman wearing armor and a strange man in a green duster sparring.

"Nicely done," Marcus said as he looked at the point of Leina's sword which was right up against his neck. "That's another tally in your favor." Leina smiled, she was improving she really was. They mostly worked on footwork and how to read an opponent. The one lesson that Marcus really made sure she got was that there will always be someone who would be faster and stronger than you are.

In return for the sparring lessons Leina gave Marcus a bit more information on the Queen's Blade, Marcus was particularly interested in the angels that would officiate the battles.

"Yeah, I know what angels are. It's just that I haven't seen one." Marcus told Leina. "They do have the wings right? And the halos?" He made a circle with both hands above his head.

"They have the wings" Leina said chuckling at the strange gesture "Although the one I remember had a mismatched pair…Oh dear!" she looked a little worried "I do hope she's alright! We were washed out of that pyramid and…"

"Whoa, wait, pyramid?" Marcus asked, brow raised in confusion. "What were you doing in a pyramid?"

Leina shrugged "I barely remember I had been captured apparently by some wicked spirit. These two foreigners helped me. One of them was wearing a white and red garb, a priestess it looked like. Her companion was less reserved but the priestess she was strong very strong."

Marcus nodded "Well, if I found you and you weren't hurt I guess it would not be foolish to hope that this angel is hurt either. I heard angels were immortal anyway so I guess she'll be fine." The fire was burning quite nicely. Leina learned that her ever stony faced companion was a decent cook; the Courier it seemed was a man of many talents.

The next day was when they arrived at the entrance to the fabled forest of elves.

/

"Joy," Marcus muttered "It's stifling in here." The Courier seemed very uncomfortable in a forest; then again Leina knew that Marcus had always been out in the open seeing as he said that he came from the desert.

"If you've survived being buried alive then you can get through a bunch of trees," Leina teased. Marcus just barked out a laugh as he looked around. While he was really uncomfortable Marcus was actually fascinated with seeing so much green stuff. Well there were plants in the Mojave; it was just that this place was so different.

It felt _alive, _not merely surviving but this land was thriving. At least there weren't any killer giant mutant plants or wildlife here, like cazadors. He hated those damn things.

Leina noticed the ever stony faced Marcus actually leery as they passed by an ant hill. He hated bugs; the man who survived being buried alive had a nasty fear of bugs. Sure Leina was not too fond of the creepy crawlies either but Marcus seemed to be disgusted with them.

"Don't like bugs?" Leina asked smiling. Marcus grumbled and nodded in the affirmative.

"Trust me, with the bugs I've been around you'll have a reason not to like them. They're big, big things."

Leina tilted her head and she was about to ask when a flock of birds flew over them, seeming in a panic. Then the Courier and the Wandering Warrior watched as a wave of decay seemed to hit the forest in front of them.

"I'm gonna assume that's not natural." Marcus said coldly and Leina nodded. Intrigued they moved quickly towards the source. Leina watched as Marcus drew the weapon at his hip, and slid the top part of it back and it clicked ominously, Marcus palmed it in both hands as he advanced, his duster billowing behind him.

Curious she wanted to ask but Marcus had pulled his metal mask over his head and was focused on the task at hand: finding whoever did this to the forest.

/

Marcus and Leina came to a strange and almost alarming sight as they followed the trail of decay. A lot of the forest was turning swampy; an evil presence permeated the air and Marcus's eyes narrowed under his helmet as he heard the clash of weapons.

Leina sped forward, surprising Marcus but he sped up nonetheless, a Light Shining in Darkness in hand. As they neared the location of the battle Marcus started hearing something strange, like someone was commentating on the fight. Determined to find out whomever this blithering idiot was he found that Leina had stopped and was watching.

Two strangers were fighting. One of them was a cute redhead with a twin tail hairdo in a maid outfit. Marcus thought she was sexy too until he snapped out of it because she was wielding a scythe. The other girl was wearing a strange orange outfit; she was a slim brunette wielding a staff. She was dodging the scythe but Marcus knew it was a losing fight. She had pointed ears…strange… and the fact that he just discovered that she was wearing panties was just utterly disturbing.

"Whoa! That was a close one!"

Marcus looked up and tilted his head in confusion as he saw his first angels. The first thing he noticed was that her left wing was quite a bit shorter than her other wing. She had short blue hair and green eyes. She looked quite endearing, much like the maid who was right now dominating the fight.

"Why are you doing this?" The brunette with the staff asked as the monkey looking thing on her shoulder chittered.

"My master wants this forest turned into a swamp, and master's orders are absolute. Forgive me but you're in the way." The scythe twirled and the maid charged.

"The swamp witch…" Leina murmured.

"And…who is this 'swamp witch'?" Marcus asked Leina, not liking the odds the brunette had.

"She was that monster Melona's master…" Leina answered gravely "Rumor says the witch wants to stop the Queen's Blade in order to become the queen herself. That maid must be one of her servants then…"

There was a loud clang and Leina and Marcus sidestepped as the brunette's staff went flying in their direction.

/

"You smell…delicious…" Airi whispered as she summoned up ghosts to trap the feisty half-elf she had disarmed. Drawing closer, she really liked the energy her opponent was giving off. The girl struggled even more as Airi sucked out some energy out of her mouth. The maid kissed the half-elf girl drawing out more life.

She was kicked in the side, hard.

/

Leina kicked the wraith off just as the half-elf fell to her knees. Marcus went to attend to the victim as Leina drew her sword. "Come evil spirit face a real challenge!" she crowed clashing sword against shield.

The maid recovered her scythe and looked at Leina coolly. "Another challenger? Hmm, it seems that today will be a good harvest. I do hope you taste as fine as that half-elf." Leina simply raised her shield meeting the maid's heavy attack head on.

"Hey! Don't interfere with the fight!" The angel above them squeaked indignantly "Huh! Leina!" She looked down to see the masked stranger hauling the drained half-elf out of the battlefield and behind a tree.

"T-Thank you…for helping me…" the half-elf said to her savior "I-my name's Nowa." The masked man just shrugged his shoulders; he was holding a strange weapon in his left hand.

"No need for thanks, my name's Marcus and that's Leina. We're just passing through." He checked Nowa for injuries "You okay? That maid chick was beating the hell out of you."

Despite being tired Nowa shook her head. "No, I'm fine mister Marcus." She answered as she turned her head to watch the fight. She gasped as Leina took a hit from the wraith's scythe and ended up wrapped up by the maid's summoned ghosts. Leina looked dimly at the maid as the wound on her chest bled profusely, a serious hit. Marcus decided that was it. The maid was getting shot, he didn't like hitting girls (or shooting them for that matter) but this bitch just pushed the line.

/

"You make one move, stranger…" the maid said holding up the blade of her scythe against Leina's neck "And her throat is opened for you. Please don't make me do this."

Leina struggled against her bonds. "Don't…Don't worry about me, Marcus. Just take that girl and get out of here!" she implored him despite the blood loss. Her companion stayed however, what was wrong with him? Didn't he just see that this maid was a strong and malevolent creature? He didn't seem to care.

Marcus moved forward raising the weapon in both hands. "You touch one hair on her head, and I won't be responsible for what happens when I pull this trigger." He said coldly. "Put down the scythe."

The maid narrowed her green eyes. This man was far different from the ones she drained. He was shorter for one thing but there was no mistaking the aura of danger that he was emanating. He had quite a bit of energy, perhaps this one would be worth draining?

"You seem quite confident…" The maid commented as she readied her scythe "Perhaps I should-"

Marcus took aim and fired.

/

Pain. Pure red pain. That was what Airi felt as the .45 hollow point hit her in the arm. Airi barely restrained a scream. The wound was regenerating slower than usual this was bad because she was running out of energy, this was arguably the first time she had been wounded so badly. Her restraints on the blonde warrior dissipated and she fell down unconscious.

For the first time since she had been awakened by her master Airi felt a little bit of fear enter her heart. Fear that had been long buried inside her.

Airi floated back away from her opponent holding her arm. The man with the now apparent weapon kept the strange contraption trained on her. "I'd suggest you leave now before you get hurt worse, maid. I'll admit that killing you would leave a bad taste in my mouth." He told her, gesturing.

Warily Airi asked "Why would you spare me?"

The stranger simply answered with a question of his own "Do you want me to end your life?"

Airi hissed and flew off, vanishing soon after.

/

Marcus put the safety on the .45 and holstered his handgun with a dexterous motion. He then turned to the pointy eared girl, Nowa as she introduced herself, who was watching with large doe-like eyes. "Do you know a safe house around here?" he asked her.


	3. Surprising Reunion

Chapter 3

Surprising Reunion

The angel was…infuriating and Marcus was already having a hard time concentrating with the task bandaging up Leina's wounds. She had fainted from blood loss during her battle with the maid. The Courier exhaled and watched the winged blue hair from the corner of his eye. Muttering about inconsiderate people and interruptions Nanael was very different from the angels that Marcus had known about. She was just a little…irritating to listen to. She made her displeasure to Marcus quite clear as she pouted at him.

Marcus, truth be told, really didn't care…not one bit.

Religious folks in the Mojave painted the winged humanoids as pious and fair to look upon. Marcus knew that this Nanael was quite a looker, she wore a white dress with a short skirt which didn't do much to hide the fact that her underwear had blue polka dots Marcus had found that little tidbit out (which was disturbing) when she was kicking her legs during her little temper tantrum. She wore greaves and had a small flask of what she called Holy Milk attached to her hip. He made the wise decision not to ask anything about the Holy Milk.

The most peculiar thing he found about Nanael was the fact that one of her wings was a few feet shorter than the other so it had to flap quite a bit faster than the longer wing. So how she managed to stay balanced in the air was beyond him. Magic tricks mayhap, but Marcus felt that asking her about such a defect would seem rude.

He would probably find out about it soon enough.

"I was so close too…" Nanael muttered glaring at Marcus accusingly "Why did some metal headed idiot have to come out and ruin everything?"

"Now wait just a minute" Marcus said quietly in protest "I don't even know what the hell I did, so why the fuck are you complaining to me?"

"Because-Because a giant air headed, no good imbecile like you interrupted what could have been a good fight!" Nanael argued back swinging her legs impatiently.

"Yeah and you were just going to sit there and let that wraith bite a chunk out of that poor girl, she was also turning the forest into a swamp. Something that unnatural seems to be a thing that the angels in heaven should be concerned about, not overseeing some stupid duel" Marcus countered then he sneered unsympathetically. "I thought you angels were supposed to help mankind, not screw them over."

Nanael's fists clenched as she flew down abruptly at Marcus, her face in his. Marcus didn't even flinch and glared right back at her.

"As if…As if some little mortal man would know anything about a great angel's duties!" she growled. With an offended sounding harrumph Nanael turned around, her smaller wing beating at the air frantically to keep up with the larger, she flew off and out.

Good riddance, Marcus thought to himself. Had she stayed any longer Marcus wouldn't know what he would have done to that vindictive blue haired bitch.

/

"Ah Mister Marcus!" Nowa poked her head into the small hut that the Courier and his companion had been given. "How are you doing? Is there anything you need?"

Marcus shook his head, already feeling better "No, we're fine Nowa." He said politely "Leina just needs to sleep."

Nowa was friendly and was not as annoying as Nanael. She could be described as a walking ray of sunshine with dimples. Marcus liked her, her animated attitude was contagious somewhat. In all of his eleven years of wandering the Mojave Desert Nowa was one of the cutest little things Marcus had seen. It was just too bad that he couldn't get too close to the adorable half-elf. She would only get hurt with all the baggage he was carrying. It would have been nice to run his hands through her hair and to kiss those cheeks…kissing that mouth of hers would be nice too…

Okay, that was just creepy. He immediately put those thoughts in the back of his head.

The Half-elf plopped down next to Marcus (much to his delight) and the monkey creature sitting on her shoulder scrambled onto Marcus's head. The Courier watched the small creature before reaching into his rucksack for some of the banana yucca fruit he had. Apparently the little guy liked it and snatched it up quickly.

"Ah Lou likes you too it seems!" Nowa exclaimed smiling as Lou nibbled on the banana yucca. Marcus shrugged. Animals had a love-hate relationship with him. Coyotes and dogs tried to eat him on a daily basis in the Mojave; then again the wild life here was pretty docile. No Yao-Guai to worry about for one thing, no Deathclaws here was another.

Marcus kept a watch on his companion, waiting for Nowa's master Alleyne. Soon enough the revered combat instructor entered the small hut.

Unlike Nowa Alleyne was a full blooded elf with blonde hair. She wore a red beret and a fine crimson cloak over a short green shirt and a skirt. Marcus was really starting to see a pattern here, every frigging chick in this place was probably scantily clad. He knew it was bad to stare but he couldn't help it sometimes even with the discipline he used to ward off pain. Leina was…stunning to say the least. Nowa had that innocent charm to her; Alleyne was just…well she pretty damned hot.

Okay there he got it out of his system now he could concentrate… for now at least.

He made sure he kept his eyes respectfully on Alleyne's own. He nodded politely at the blonde elf.

/

Alleyne observed the short young man that Nowa had recently encountered. Sure she was grateful that her star pupil had been saved from death but her mistrust of all males was still apparent. A thousand years had passed and still that enmity remained. But this man, Marcus, was very different from the usual stock she was used to.

He was short for one thing, about five foot three and he was quite lean. Alleyne could see a hidden strength in him, his youthful tanned looks told her he was in his early twenties. His hard blue eyes said that he was two hundred; he had a hard demeanor that was the complete opposite of the upbeat and friendly Nowa. Alleyne could smell the blood on his hands. She found his claim that he was a simple messenger highly doubtful.

Marcus had explained that it was quite the dangerous job, he had been ambushed and buried alive once. Nowa found that to be quite horrifying. The man was lucky, Alleyne supposed.

The damnable council was correct for once, this human was well armed and, from the way Nowa described his taking control of the situation with the wraith, well trained. For a human that is, as few could match even Nowa in a fair fight.

/

"So…the both of you are headed to the capital from what I've heard from Nowa." Alleyne said to the stony faced Courier as he gathered up a stack of firewood for the night's dinner.

"Yes, Leina is a participant for the Queen's Blade thing…I'm just trying to get back home." Marcus answered hauling the stack of wood in both hands. "Or if I'm not as lucky find some way to get back home. I've been through one war and I'm hoping on ending the next."

"A messenger and a fighter, it seems that you are a man of many skills…" Alleyne commented her eyes narrowed slightly. "You've killed before…"

At that Marcus blinked slowly, his face turning into an emotionless mask "Yeah, I have." His voice was toneless; no regret but there was weariness in it. "What of it?"

Alleyne stopped, standing slightly in front of the Courier "I am quite concerned about you most of all Sir Marcus," she said businesslike "Nowa thinks highly of you since you had saved her. That woman Leina I have no idea whatsoever but I think that she is important to you."

She turned to face Marcus with a hard glare of her own. "If you are a danger to my people, especially Nowa, then I will not hesitate to end your life."

Marcus shrugged "You think I'm dangerous." He observed calmly, almost vacantly "I get that a lot back home. Don't worry you have nothing to fear from me and neither does that little student of yours" hefting the firewood he continued "Let's get going, I'm sure the others will worry."

/

The next morning Leina woke up and found that her wound was bandaged. Marcus was already up and he was watching Nowa and a new girl sparring with staves. The blonde elf was extremely attractive and Leina felt a sense of jealousy which surprised her. The Courier noticed her first however and waved her over, eating little once again.

Nowa and the new arrival turned to her. "Ah, good you're awake." The blonde elf told her in a business-like, no nonsense manner "I am Alleyne, Nowa's master. You are from the Vance Family I presume."

"Yes," Leina answered cautiously. Was this elf an agent of her father's? No that would seem far too unlikely… still she thought it best to be wary. "My name is Leina, Leina Vance."

Alleyne gave a nod. "Ah…yes, I did see your fight against the Lightning General, your elder sister Claudette."

Leina nodded again, still feeling the sting of defeat. Claudette was not the only one she wanted to surpass though, the other one was sitting on the grass leaning against a tree with a generally docile expression on his face.

He stood up and just as he was about to leave Nowa said something.

"Master Alleyne, aren't you going to ask Mister Marcus to spar? You did talk about it, I'm sure he's a good fighter too." Nowa said as she recovered from today's spar. Marcus had stopped and sighed, the Courier didn't really feel like sparring with anyone today and was about to tell Nowa that he was a bit tired but Alleyne surprisingly agreed with her student.

"I am curious about your fighting ability, Sir Marcus." Alleyne said seriously "Considering the skill it would take to drive off a wraith, not many mortals can do so. In fact most often end up dead." She looked at Marcus's retreating back.

"It ain't skill, I was just lucky enough to drive her off." Marcus answered not turning and scratching the back of his head. "She was…distracted."

"And yet you still managed to drive her off." Alleyne said, twirling her staff and pointing it at Marcus. "You are a strange one it seems, most men are always bragging and eager for battle."

"There's a difference between them and me then," Marcus countered sighing. "I don't like fighting; anyone who does is called a fool. 'Sides, you'd beat my ass from here to the next town."

"Oh?" Alleyne raised one brow "You are quite humble for a human."

"I'm not stupid" Marcus said with a quick smile "I don't pick fights I can't win."

/

The spar actually ended up happening anyway. Based in the clearing Marcus stood at one side while Leina and Nowa sat on a log overlooking the fighters.

Alleyne twirled her staff skillfully as she watched the Courier gently put his rucksack down. He reached inside and drew out a most peculiar weapon: a broad-bladed machete, which was a gardening implement from her personal experience. The bolo-style blade was well cared for and though the grip looked worn it was still in good shape.

"Um…Sir Marcus…" Alleyne started but the Courier swung his impromptu weapon once to the side, she saw Leina and Nowa involuntarily flinch at the motion. No hesitation, 12 points at least. Alleyne mused and her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah I know, it's supposed to be used for clearing vegetation and all that jazz." Marcus said grimly as he lowered the machete at his side, he turned to the side to present a smaller target "But when I first started out, and before I got my first gun, this thing worked… quite well in close quarters."

Marcus bowed his head looking at Alleyne "I'm assuming that we fight until first blood?"

"The one who can deal a blow first wins" Alleyne answered "Have at thee, Sir Marcus."

The Courier tightened his stance. Then he charged Alleyne and attacked with a quick horizontal strike. Alleyne parried easily with her own weapon, counter attacking with a sweeping blow to the head. Marcus ducked the attack going for her legs with a low kick. The Combat Instructor jumped and retaliated with a kick of her own, knocking the Courier backwards.

Marcus, winded, held his stomach as he stumbled back and regained his footing.

"Nicely done, your recovery is rough but all the same 10 points." Alleyne commented. "Shall we continue?"

"Darn…" Marcus said sarcastically "And I was hoping you'd be frightened by my combat prowess…"

Nowa giggled from her vantage point, Leina gave a smile and even Alleyne felt amused.

"Enough!" Alleyne exclaimed "Have at thee!"

Marcus smirked, raising his machete and gave his all. The ringing of steel echoed grandly throughout the forest as machete and staff met in a blur.

Alleyne, during the course of that morning, observed that while Nowa was a dedicated fighter Marcus had a different ideology. He was not fighting to win; he was not fighting for glory either. He was fighting to kill in the shortest amount of time possible. While he surely was not as adamant here since he was among allies Alleyne shuddered to think about what the Courier was capable of against his enemies.

Marcus swung eagerly, a lethal blow if he had not been holding back just a little. Alleyne jumped back whirled and went for a thrust to the abdomen. Marcus sidestepped going in for another strike at Alleyne's head. They went on like that for quite a while, strike, counterstrike and strike again. But Alleyne turned the tables, as she had more than a thousand years of experience compared to the Courier.

The battle turned to her favor and Marcus began to get pushed back, parrying with all he could as Alleyne's staff went at him from every direction.

_Fuck she's good! _Marcus thought as he desperately parried another blow that would have put him on his can. He thrust forward, but knew that was a mistake. "Ah Damnit!" Marcus snarled panicking as Alleyne grabbed his arm and pulled him in, using her staff to flip him head over ass onto the floor and on his back.

Marcus tried to stand but had the pleasure of seeing Alleyne's staff in his face.

"Rough, but acceptable." Alleyne said in that business-like tone she liked to use so much "thirty points, but regardless you did your best."

"Okay" Marcus said simply. He looked to the side to see Leina, whose jaw had dropped, and a clapping Nowa. Leina's expression was pretty darned funny because he heard Alleyne chuckle once.

/

"Whoa!" Marcus flew backwards, barely able to block Nowa's upward swing and quite promptly fell back on his ass. "Ow!"

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry Mister Marcus, are you alright?" Nowa said anxiously as Marcus managed to get back up on his feet. She gripped her staff in a white handed grip, the poor girl was much too kind to be wielding a weapon, Marcus thought as he shook his head.

"You've got quite an arm there Nowa." Marcus said rubbing his backside.

Nowa looked guilty "I'm sorry for hurting you Mister Marcus" she apologized dejectedly.

"Now, now…" Marcus stopped her from doing anything else, such as bowing. "I'm sure you didn't mean to. It is just a spar after all." He stooped to pick up his machete. Alleyne was off on her own while Leina was bathing. They had spent a week in the Forest of the Elves and it was about high time they got back on the road. He had expressed his concerns to Alleyne and she told him, much more quietly he had noticed, that she would speak to the elf council about it.

Marcus was familiar with some politics, seeing as he had a hand in most of the Mojave's own problems, and with his experience he would let Alleyne handle it. He did caution Leina to be ready for anything.

"Why? I'm sure the elves don't mind us being here" Leina told him as they walked back from gathering firewood.

"You mean Nowa and Alleyne don't mind us being here, I don't know about you but I've been in more than enough burgs that had people who were hostile with strangers." Marcus answered then he shrugged "I'm not saying that we are in immediate danger, it just helps to be at the ready. I'm not expecting too much trouble. But hey, I haven't been in this place for long and you actually know this country better than I do."

Leina was still confused but she acceded to Marcus's caution. Again she was surprised at how different he was from the average male. It made her wonder what kind of childhood the Courier had.

It was almost sundown, weird because Alleyne was usually back by now. Nowa was worried but Marcus calmed the young half-elf down by offering to go out on patrol.

"I'll holler if anything happens" Marcus told Leina who was watching Nowa prepare dinner.

"Be careful" Leina said. The Courier gave a nod slipping his metal helmet on.

/

With A Light Shining in Darkness in hand the Courier made his rounds for the night, making damn sure to watch every shadow. Night had its advantages, the thing is most of those advantages were also exploited by your enemy. He kept his Pip-Boy Light off, seeing that it could compromise his position. Good thing the Desert Ranger helmet he wore had infrared.

Sweeping his pistol left and right Marcus had a real bad feeling about something. He kept up his route at least three times before deciding to head back.

All of a sudden a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Marcus turned roughly, surprising the person and shoved the .45 in the person's face. He realized with a start that it was Alleyne.

"Sorry" Marcus said lowering his pistol "You surprised me-"

"You have to leave. Now." Alleyne spoke quickly and dragged Marcus with her. The Courier then realized that shit had just hit the fan.

/

"What do you mean the Elf Council wants us killed!? Can't we just talk to them about this!?" Leina snapped at Alleyne who was busy putting rations in her pack. Nowa was ready to go but she looked extremely anxious.

"I had tried to reason with them, Leina Vance but it seems that their enmity of humans has reached a boiling point. They believe that it was you who caused irreparable damage to our forest." Alleyne said patiently but with haste. "So long as the both of you are here, you are in grave danger."

"Well damn" Marcus said softly "Looks like we got to hit the road quickly then." He reached into his rucksack to pull out yet another weapon. Leina and Nowa stared curiously, it was similar to the "pistol" as he called it save that it was slightly longer and had two rods of metal stuck side by side. On the right side were the words "Big Boomer".

Marcus broke open the sawed off and slipped two shells into the weapon, he slung it over his shoulder. His machete was already strapped to his back in a leather sheathe.

"Sir Marcus, if I may…" Leina said "How many weapons do exactly you have in that bag of yours? Is it magic?"

Marcus chuckled quietly. It was disturbing. Leina felt a shudder go through her. "I've collected…quite a few weapons in my homeland. This," he said patting his holstered pistol "Is my favorite. It was a gift from an acquaintance that I learned much of my skills from." The Courier shouldered his pack. "We should get moving now, are you taking a separate path Alleyne?"

"Unfortunately yes" Alleyne answered. Nowa looked sad at hearing this and Lou tried to cheer her up by patting her cheek.

"M-Master…Will we see them again?" Nowa whispered quietly. Instead of Alleyne however it was Marcus who answered.

"Of course we will," the Courier removed his helmet. He gave a smile. "That's a promise I intend on keeping."

The word was out now. Elfish patrols were searching the forest for the human fugitives and the half-elf traitor, Nowa and her teacher Alleyne. By the time one squad reached Alleyne's hut they found it completely abandoned. Obviously the Council was upset over this.

The group of four had taken a hidden path that Alleyne knew about, and then they went their separate ways as soon as they reached the fork in the path. Nowa had cheered up by then, promising Marcus that they would meet again as they took the leftmost path which was the start of a longer path to Gainos, the capital and the stage for the Queen's Blade tourney.

Leina and Marcus waved good-bye to their elfish companions as they took the right path which would take them to the next town, which was known for its metal working.

/

It was thundering outside the cave, rain fell in copious amounts but at least they had a good fire going. Leina watched Marcus as he cleaned off his pistol on a spread cloth. His hands moved slowly and skillfully as he reassembled the pistol and aimed it at the cave wall. He then slipped…something into the grip and pulled back the slide.

Leina was curious about this weapon and she asked "What…did you just do?"

Marcus looked at her through his peripherals then answered "I cleaned my weapons. Guns are more complicated than knives or swords. I will say that they are a lot more effective." He holstered his weapon.

"Effective?" Leina said tilting her head "I was taught that the sword was the most honorable and mightiest weapon a warrior could wield. How could something so small be so dangerous anyway?"

Cricking his neck slowly the Courier leaned back against the cave wall "Remember that wraith?" Marcus asked Leina who nodded shuddering "If things had ended badly for you…" He gestured to his pistol "Well let's just say that I've killed more men and women than I could count with this weapon."

/

They reached town the next day, and it must have been the biggest shithole that Marcus had ever seen. Goodsprings made this place look like ass. The Courier exhaled through his nose. Good thing he was wearing a helmet even if the people here were staring at him. Leina coughed as a cart passed by, trailing dust.

The town was close to a mine which could explain why it was so busy, even as the sun started to set. Marcus heard another cat call and a whistle as some of the men in town leered at Leina. Really, she could have chosen better clothing for this. He kept pace with her, a hand on the grip of his .45.

Hopefully nothing happened…

/

The bar was loud. Tomoe rubbed her temples irritably as she sat at the bar. The Musha-Miko ran a hand through her dark locks and kept watch. This town wasn't friendly to foreigners, that she was sure of.

She heard a cacophony of whistles as someone new entered the bar. "Leina-san?" She murmured as the familiar blonde wandering warrior entered the bar. The woman had an annoyed look on her face as she glared at the group of drunks at the table. Men, such stupid egotistical pigs-

Wait…who was that with Leina?

The stranger, whoever he was, wore a long green coat over strange armor. His helmet was also an oddity. She had never seen such a thing. The stranger was not very tall or big but he (Tomoe was sure the stranger was male) radiated a certain kind of dread that few in the bar noticed. He had dark slightly tanned skin, unkempt black hair and cold indigo eyes. He looked quite young but his eyes were harder than most males. There was something off with Leina's strange companion. Could he be her lover or something? Surely this isn't the famous Risty she had heard from the Wandering Warrior…She was quite sure Risty was a female name.

Leina turned from the table of drunks and her eyebrows arched in pleasant surprise as she caught sight of Tomoe.

/

"Miss Tomoe!" Leina exclaimed "So you were alive!" She grabbed Marcus's arm and dragged the Courier over. Marcus took a glance at Tomoe. She was wearing, for once something decent, some kind of robe which consisted of a white top and a pair of what looked like red baggy pants. Despite this she was…womanly, almost as tall as Leina.

She had long black hair and her beautiful noble features made her look like a princess.

"Sir Marcus, this is Tomoe the priestess I was talking about, she was with me at the pyramid before we were separated." Leina told Marcus.

Tomoe bowed graciously. "Greetings, I am Musha-Miko Tomoe of Hinomoto" she spoke politely.

Marcus nodded his head. "I'm Marcus, a Courier from the Mojave. I'm…not from here." He said, quietly.

"Mojave?" Tomoe asked tilting her head in confusion. She had not heard of such a land in the continent.

Marcus just shook his head "It's a long story." He told her quietly "Not one to discuss here too openly."

/

The beer was good. Marcus sat next to Leina as she and Tomoe talked of their adventures while separated. Leina mostly talked about what she and Marcus had been up to. Marcus said nothing but he did take small sips of the beer though, it wasn't smart to get drunk and lose his faculties here…Too much unknowns for one thing.

"So…Leina-san says that you took on a wraith and lived, Marcus-san." Tomoe spoke looking at Marcus. The Courier just shrugged his shoulders.

"I was lucky she wasn't paying attention…" Marcus said "I'm not out to make a name for myself…I just…"

"Well now, look who it is…It's one of them foreigners boys" A gaggle of men approached the trio and Marcus fell silent. Tomoe's expression grew serious as Leina got a little annoyed. She glanced at the Courier and was surprised to see him secretly draw his knife. His eyes had become harder if that was possible.

"Aye and a new girl too…Say, we got a job for ya if yer interested." The leader was a typical dimwitted type. Tomoe knew them all. She was about to say something when Leina's strange companion spoke quietly.

"I don't appreciate what you gentlemen are doing to my companions…I must ask that you turn around and walk away before I have to get…violent with you all."

Tomoe felt a chill go down her spine. Something was definitely off with Leina's male companion. She had a growing feeling that she didn't want to know what.


	4. Pragmatism

Chapter 4

Pragmatism

Tensions rose as the leader of the group of men harassing Tomoe and Leina got closer to the Courier, intent on doing bodily harm. He was a big fellow, Marcus observed. He was burly and his head was shaved. The guy looked like a miner.

"What did you say to me boy!?" he snarled angrily as the Courier turned to simply look his opponent in the eyes with an uncomfortably blank stare.

"I asked you to leave my companions alone. You really do not want to start something here." Marcus answered quietly, almost bored out of his mind. "My companion has just been reunited with a friend and I am trying to drink in peace."

"And what if I says no?" the leader said "You don't scare me"

"Yeah kid, you best watch out for Derrick here!" One of the group, Eric, spoke eagerly. Marcus was immediately reminded of a ferret. "He'll smash ya flat!"

"Oh…? They say that the dog who barks loudest has the weakest bite." Marcus taunted the man, Derrick he was called "Your blustering doesn't scare me at all."

"You smug little bastard-" Derrick grabbed at Marcus's coat but the Courier knocked his hand away. The group of thugs got closer and Leina got ready for a fight.

"Don't touch me" Marcus told the thug quietly. The big man just snarled and threw the first punch.

The Courier dodged with mind numbing speed and his gauntleted hand shot out quick as a snake. Tomoe almost missed it as the Courier's fist cannoned right into Derrick's face with the force of a hurricane; the brute staggered backwards crying out in pain. The Courier moved forward kicking the man's knee forcing Derrick down and then promptly sent the large man flying with a knee to the face.

He was knocked out before he even hit the floor.

Irritated Marcus rubbed his knee, the bastard had a hard skull. Everyone at the bar was speechlessly looking at him.

"D-Derrick!" One of the miner's friends exclaimed in panic. Another one of the bunch had drawn a knife and was brandishing it at the Courier, screaming profanities. As he advanced, Leina stepped forward, bashing her shield against his face. The third man from Derrick's group went to accost her.

With surprising strength and agility, surprising even Marcus Tomoe hammered her elbow into the side of the ruffian's head and he went down like a rock.

"I would advise the both of you not to try anything else." She said officiously to the two remaining men. "Otherwise it will end most painfully for you."

The two stood unsure of what to do when another female voice cackled behind them. "Yeah you better listen to what Miss Tomoe says, otherwise you're gonna get hurt."

/

The newcomer was a young bright purple haired woman about the same age as Tomoe but unlike the more conservative Musha-Miko the newcomer was wearing an extremely revealing purple garb. But the most distinguishable aspect of her…outfit was her headband which had two horns sticking out of it.

Marcus did not pay attention to the impressive amount of cleavage she was showing, rather he was focused on the scythe with the chain, the throwing knives, and the short sword she had on her person. Much like him this chick had a lot of weapons on hand and she knew how to use them.

The newcomer had apparently noticed and she gave a cheeky grin "Like what you see?"

Marcus narrowed his eyes, keeping his guard up.

Shizuka smirked as the man tensed. She was impressed that the guy actually kept his cool around her; most men would have been drooling by now. But not this one, he actually looked like he can do something. His clothes were strange too and judging from how his left arm was in his jacket he was probably handling his own weapon.

"Hey come on now, take it easy" Shizuka said stepping over the two fallen ruffians, both were knocked out and the other two had fled the scene. They were probably getting reinforcements. "I'm Miss Tomoe's friend, Shizuka." The guy looked way too serious for his own good, he was cute too so that was quite a shame.

The guy said nothing but he just kept up his stony mask, and Leina noticed. "There's no reason to be so unsociable" she scolded her quiet companion. "You must forgive him Miss Shizuka, this is Marcus. He's a Courier from…Where are you from again?"

Marcus blinked and looked at Leina. "Like I said before, that is not something to discuss here openly because that guy is pissed." He then jerked his head at the infuriated looking innkeeper who was approaching.

/

"Dickhead" Marcus muttered as they were pushed out of the inn.

"Like we wanted to start that fight" Shizuka said grumpily "I should've cut him down, racist bastard. He was giving us some really bad prices for the rooms just because we're foreign."

"Tis land is lawless. But that does not mean we should add to the people's miseries Shizuka," Tomoe admonished her companion "It seems that the Queen is not doing what is right for the people by keeping the peace."

"Well…What's done is done" Leina sighed "We're probably going to end up camping out anyway, should we find a good clearing Sir Marcus?"

The Courier shrugged "Might as well," he answered Leina. He kept a wary eye on her two friends then looked around town to see if there were any other threats incoming.

They managed to set up close to a small hot spring. As Marcus sat tending to the fire, he let the women go rinse up at the spring. The Courier was sorely tempted to peek sure but seeing that all three of those girls were adept at swordplay he decided that keeping himself intact was the better idea. Besides...he had to pay attention in case anyone else tried anything. So with that in mind the Courier shrugged off his pack and sat down to stretch his legs.

He sharpened his machete idly with a whetstone.

/

"Ah…" Shizuka sighed leaning her head back. The water was nice. Now if only she and Miss Tomoe hadn't run out of sake then this would have been perfect.

"You have a very strange companion, Leina" Tomoe said "He seems…a bit off."

"Yes, he does seem like that but he is a good person." Leina answered "He's…well he isn't exactly from here, in fact he's not from the same plane as we are." Tomoe's eyes widened as she considered the implications of what Leina said. A man from another world...it was nothing short of outlandish.

"He is human right?" Shizuka asked Leina leaning forward staring at her blonde companion "I mean don't get me wrong, he's pretty nice to look at but those eyes of his are emptier than a doll's. I've seen _corpses _ more livelier than your travelling companion Leina"

"Indeed," Tomoe added "In addition to that fact I felt some very dark chi coming from him. Is Sir Marcus a fugitive perhaps?"

Leina, seeing that she knew almost nothing about the Courier, shook her head a little confused not to mention a bit worried. Marcus didn't talk much to her. But he did help her out on the road, and he did fight off that wraith when she had been incapacitated. Was he hiding something from them? Some dark and perhaps tragic secret that he didn't wish to divulge to anyone he didn't trust?

"No" Leina said firmly. Whatever Marcus wanted to hide, that's his business. Oh well there was that one thing he had mentioned. "He did say that he was going off to fight in a war, he didn't mention many details." That was another thing that made Leina a little wary of her stony faced companion, he liked being as obscure as possible.

Shizuka raised a brow "A soldier, him? But you said he was a Courier didn't you?" she asked "Kinda weird for a Courier to know how to fight."

"Indeed," Tomoe added "His movements were practiced…Too practiced for someone who just has to defend himself from the occasional bandit or two."

/

Marcus counted at least six guys...and they were headed straight for the hot spring that Leina and company were occupying. These weren't part of the rabble back at the inn, they looked like small time but their armaments spoke of experience around these parts, swords and axes mostly and the leader had a cutlass that Marcus was interested in. Marcus palmed the Stealth Boy then decided against it. No time for tricks. This was going to be an old school ambush.

The Courier could only hope Leina wouldn't get angry at him for what he was about to do. Silently he unlimbered the Big Boomer from his shoulder and slipped two twelve gauge shells into both barrels then moved at a crouch, silent as a mouse.

/

"Look who we have here boys!" Leina narrowed her eyes covering herself up as six armed men approached from the bushes. "I don't know about you but I like having eye candy while I bathe!" His cronies guffawed raucously.

"You better close your eyes little man" Shizuka snarled. "Or else I'll pluck them out."

The lead bandit really was going to say something witty, all of them were wearing big grins and Shizuka was immediately reminded of the attack on Tomoe's shrine. As she got ready to move out of the water she saw something behind the bandit leader, she caught the glimpse of two blue eyes before there was a loud thump. Blood sprayed in copious amounts staining the grass as the bandit leader blinked and looked down at the large hole the size of a dinner plate in his torso before collapsing into a dead heap. Shizuka's jaw dropped and Leina gave a small gasp as Marcus ponderously aimed his strange weapon at the next bandit and blew his head off, his weapon making a loud thumping noise. The headless corpse stood for a few seconds, nerve endings shot, before finally falling backwards after registering the fact that it was dead.

With their leader dead the remaining four tried to run for it but the Courier simply drew another weapon from his coat, this one smaller, and put them down in succession. Six shots and four men dropped like rocks. The inhuman nature of the act was not lost on Leina and she was about to give the Courier a stern talking-to when he gestured at her...lack of clothing.

"You're all kind of naked," he said his iron mask muffling his voice but he sounded amused, not exactly a good reaction from someone who just killed six men in cold blood, and Marcus turned around "I'd suggest getting dressed before talking to me. Wouldn't want you to get a cold"

Two girlish squeals later sent him running as Leina had hefted a rock to throw at him in her embarrassment.

/

"What was that!?" A fully dressed and armed Leina demanded of the stony faced Courier who was busy cleaning his weapons, in particular he started with the 'sawed off' as he explained it. He was cleaning out the two barrels gently with a brush like a mother bathing her child.

"A textbook ambush" Marcus answered not looking at Leina "And you're welcome by the way."

"That still did not excuse the fact that you just killed them all, you could have won that battle without killing Marcus!" Leina spoke aghast at how her ever stony faced companion would be so willing to kill just to come out on top. How right she was...

"You're right it doesn't" Marcus said softly finishing up with Big Boomer's second barrel. He then reassembled the weapon with practiced hands and put it up next to his rucksack, the barrels glinted dully in the firelight "However..if things went downhill would you expect those men to treat you with the same courtesy? Why should I let bandits, rapists and slavers live? Why should they be allowed to continue ruining other people's lives?" When he saw Leina had no answer he sighed.

"I can understand your concerns, Leina" he spoke quieter now as though he was tired. "But where I come from trying to be nice to bad people often ends up with you being dead." He gave her a cynical smile as he took a sip from his canteen. "I've shot and stabbed a lot of people if that disturbs you then I apologize. But I can't change what path my life has taken or how much I have endured." The look on Leina's face said it all, she didn't like the fact that he had killed those men. Marcus shrugged and looked down away from Leina's eyes, what else could he say? She was a good person, the one thing that Marcus tried and failed to become.

Shizuka uncrossed her arms and tried to defuse the tense situation "Well, he's got a point Leina." She spoke to the blonde gently "Killing's a nasty business. Unless you're well cuckoo nobody ever recovers from it."

"It still does not have to happen" Tomoe said then looked at Marcus "I don't know what kind of place you hail from Mister Marcus but I will be watching you." She tried to pity the man but considering how well armed and well trained Leina claimed him to be she didn't want to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"If that makes you feel any better go ahead." Marcus said to the stoic Musha-Miko then as though a switch had been thrown he sat up straighter "You all go ahead and rest, I'll be up for quite a while."

Tomoe and Shizuka looked at each other then nodded bidding him good night. Leina sat down to unpack her own bedroll. "I still think you're a good person Marcus." she said softly "I just wish that you would act like one."

"An old friend once told me that he didn't enjoy killing" Marcus answered "But even when it was done righteously, it's just a chore. I was disheartened to find out that he was right." Leina just blinked at him slowly, then curled up in her bed roll. Marcus exhaled then he continued keeping watch.

/

The next morning Leina found Marcus already geared up and ready to go, his face hidden behind the metal mask that he wore on occasion. She noted that he was a lot more subdued. He only nodded when Shizuka greeted him. After a small breakfast the group decided to move on towards the capital. The atmosphere was not as friendly as before and Leina glanced behind her at the Courier who walked stiffly, but he did keep an eye out as though he expected something to happen. He needn't worry so much, she mused. Apart from that blue haired angel nobody should be following them.

And he did take care of those bandits, that was at least one good thing that came out of the incident last night. Leina blushed shaking her head, why was she thinking after the man? Sure he was a troubled but charming young man and also strong fighter he wasn't like many of the males she had encountered. Other men would only leer at her and their compliments on her looks were shallow. Marcus made no such comments. He didn't leer, that was another point in his favor. Leina shook her head clear of such things. They had only met a couple of weeks ago! She was not some foolish maiden trying to fall in love!

Marcus only tilted his head as he saw Leina flustered with something. She looked like she had a fever or some such. He shrugged. Whatever, it wasn't his problem.

"Seriously..." Marcus muttered as he turned the map over again. They had taken a break and seeing as the area around them was pretty rocky they set up camp on a good looking hill with lots of cover. There was not much to do apart from the occasional spar and the card game of Caravan. After a few bouts Shizuka one-upped Marcus at every turn, so much so that the women found out with amusement that Marcus was not a very graceful loser.

"How the hell did you two ever get through this place with this kind of map?" Marcus handed the scroll back to Shizuka, still grumpy over his bout of losses in Caravan. Wearing a Cheshire grin, Shizuka just took the map back and rolled it up.

"Oh...we were _lucky" _ she said emphasizing the word lucky. Marcus narrowed his eyes at the insinuation that his luck in card games was horrible and the Hinomoto ninja just chuckled. "But it was pretty fun, despite the fact we nearly died a couple of times. Tomoe has a...very bad sense of direction" Marcus raised a brow.

"Well she has a good companion to keep her on her way at least." Marcus said shrugging his shoulders.

Dimples appeared on Shizuka's face "You know how to flatter a girl, Marcus I like that." The Courier just shrugged again. The kunoichi found Marcus to be a rather interesting person, if a bit quiet. She learned much about his place of origin, the Mojave Wasteland.

"It's a civilized place" he had said "But trust me, it's also bloody."

He told them all that he had fought in a war before between two groups known as the NCR and Caesar's Legion, and sitting in between them was the enigmatic Mr. House who ruled the center of the Mojave, New Vegas.

She learned that the NCR was a more benevolent faction than the Legion and that the Legion would enslave anyone who stood in their way. She also learned that the NCR had its own problems: corruption, greed. Marcus had no love for either group but he decided to help the NCR because they were the better option. He didn't trust Mr. House because he was a "conniving bastard". She learned of his wanderings, the colorful characters of the Mojave and the places he visited. From Goodsprings to Novac, from Freeside to Zion to the Divide Marcus had walked the Mojave Wastes from one end to another. Now he was here because of a freak sandstorm he still had a lot of work to do. The first thing on his mind was to get back home, because the Legion was still out there and the NCR, specifically General Oliver, needed his expertise. It was something he resented.

"Folks in the NCR call him General 'Wait and See'" Marcus told Shizuka. Then he scoffed in annoyance "He was one of the reasons why the Republic was doing so badly in the first place."

Shizuka grinned "Typical male bravado, he thinks he knows what he was doing wasn't he?"

"Yup." Marcus said nodding slowly then took a peek around. Leina and Tomoe had been gone for quite a while now, they should have been back already from gathering food. Even though they already had enough food, Leina said she spotted some deer. Marcus advised against it but Tomoe offered to go with her and with that they set off.

Marcus idly looked at the clock on his Pip-Boy and was now a little concerned, well he was mostly concerned about Leina. She was a kindly sort but slightly airheaded not like Tomoe. He sincerely hoped the priestess would steer Leina from straying off too far.

Shizuka blinked as she heard something. "Hey...Hush up for a bit mister Courier," she said as she got to her feet listening. Marcus obeyed, hearing something as well. It sounded like steel clashing.

"Bugger-fuck..." Marcus muttered pulling his metal mask over his head "And here I thought that we'd have no trouble for the day."

"It makes the trip less boring if you ask me" Shizuka said "Let's get going I'm sure Miss Tomoe's giving some goons a thrashing or two." She took one step back and flipped acrobatically off their camp and sped off. Marcus didn't imitate his flashier companion and just jumped down, following her at a relaxed pace seeing as he wasn't a goddamned ninja in the first place.

Damn...When Shizuka ran, she went all out.

/

The assassins were fast and they used the terrain quite well as though they knew it. Tomoe and Leina looked around waiting for their enemy to strike. They had just lost the deer and was about to head back when they had been attacked by several leather bound warriors. One in particular Tomoe recognized quite well. Her eyes burned coldly as she scanned the area. It was rocky and filled with many places to strike from. They had to be careful.

"Blast it, how can they blend in so well?" Leina asked as she kept her shield up. "Who are these people?" With a grunt Leina blocked one strike from an assassin at her flank and swung her sword but the strike went wide and the female warrior simply pulled back, disappearing into the rocks.

"They are the Queen's personal assassins" Tomoe said "We've met before, the one with the blue hair is a devious foe. I would be careful Miss Leina-"

And just like that Irma, the Captain of the Queen's personal assassins, landed to the left. Her red eyes were cold and calculating and Leina was quickly reminded of their ever stony faced companion.

"We meet again, priestess of Hinomoto" The woman's voice was just as cold as her glance. Two more assassins flanked her, weapons drawn. Though quite a few of them had been knocked out of the fight their morale did not waver. Such was the strength of the Fang assassins whose loyalty to their Queen was second to none.

"Indeed," Tomoe answered "It seems that you did not learn your lesson last time. Leave or I may be forced to cut you down."

Irma just smiled coldly drawing her sword and dagger. "That is not going to happen I'm afraid" she said and surged forward like a hurricane. Tomoe held her katana in two hands as Leina gave a war cry and engaged the other two.

The lead assassin went low aiming for Tomoe as the Musha-Miko stepped back and made to swing down on Irma's head. With surprisingly feline grace Irma sidestepped the blow and reverse the grip on her dagger and went for a crippling blow. Tomoe parried the attack striking again and again with Irma outright flowing in between attacks.

"Gah!"

Tomoe smiled gratefully as Shizuka got the drop on the one assassin that had Leina in a headlock. The other one, who was about to deal a heavy blow against Leina, got tackled by the Courier. Wearing his metal mask Marcus looked down at his victim coldly before knocking her out with a single punch to the face.

The Musha-Miko then focused on her opponent blocking an over head strike. Tomoe swung her katana again but Irma ducked, knocked Tomoe off balance and went for a swing but was forced to evade it as Leina went in swinging her sword at her. Irma deftly jumped back onto a boulder, clearly outnumbered. Marcus drew his pistol and took aim. He squeezed off two shots at the blue haired assassin, aiming to keep her distracted, but she ducked back behind the rock, disappearing post haste.

"Left or right" Marcus muttered, loud enough for Shizuka and the others to hear "Or she could come from above."

"Then let her" Leina growled "I'll just beat her down like the rat she is."

"She's smart," Marcus said "She uses the terrain like a local. She could ambush us anywhere if we follow." He flicked the safety on his pistol and holstered the .45. He looked around and noticed that the other assassins had disappeared as well. Including the ones Shizuka and Marcus had blindsided.

"Great," Shizuka groused "First bandits, now the Queen's assassins are after us. Again."

"That pretty much describes my own luck at the moment" Marcus said pedantically taking his helmet off and scratching his black hair. "Dinner anyone?" Predictably Leina's stomach growled and Shizuka laughed at her expense. Leina gave the kunoichi a playful shove.


End file.
